In December, Dr. Hayes went to the AAEP American Association of Equine Practitioners meeting in Denver. Attending this event enabled her to complete the required annual 20 hours of CE Continuing Education.
She would like to share some highlights from the meeting.
EHV1 EQUINE HERPES VIRUS UPDATE
The EHV1 virus is spread 80% in the air and 20% on surfaces from the nasal passages and tears of infected horses. Once exposed, the horse becomes infected in 2 days and can start shedding virus with no signs of fever. In some cases, 7 days later, the horse may develop a fever and spike a temperature. Exposed horses need to be quarantined for 21-28 days
The virus likes to live in cool damp conditions. It lives 48 hours on surfaces such as clothes, buckets, blankets, bridles etc. The virus is killed by disinfectants such as Lysol or a 1-part bleach to 10-part water dilution. Sunlight (UV light) kills the virus. Clean the tack, brushes, etc. then put them in the sunlight.
EHV1 vaccine (Rhino, Pneumabort) does not prevent the virus infection but will reduce the viremia (virus in the body) and nasal shedding of the virus. Vaccination of many horses will decrease the presence of EHV1 virus in the general population of horses.
EHV1 usually causes respiratory disease but some strains of EHV1 can cause the neurologic disease EHM Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy. The neurologic form is caused by inflammation of the blood vessels and blood clots in the spinal cord, resulting in a lack of blood flow and damage to the spinal cord. Signs are fever, swelling of the legs, hindlimb weakness, urine dribbling, and inability to stand. 60-70% of EHM affected horses recover with treatment.
The EDCC Equine Disease Communication Center website provides confirmed cases and status of various equine diseases by state. Texas had 30 EHM cases during the outbreak. There are currently no new cases in Texas as of January 4, 2026. The EDCC did an excellent job of reporting cases. The Texas Animal Health Commission also did an excellent job of contacting exposed horses’ owners and quarantining, which stopped the outbreak by Dec 11.
As of January 6th, most states have lifted the restrictions in place following the EHV1 outbreak. Some states still require a statement on the health certificate that the horse has not been exposed to EHV1 in the past 21 days. It has always been our practice to call the destination state to confirm entry requirements before issuing a health certificate.
TEMPLE GRANDIN
Dr Hayes was fortunate to attend a lecture where Temple Grandin was the keynote speaker on animal behavior. Ms. Grandin, who is autistic, is an American academic, inventor, and animal behaviorist. She has written several books, where she explores the animal connections between their behavior and her experiences with autism.
In her speech, she said that horses as prey animals use sight and smell and it is important that owners realize that. Sudden new objects are scary to the horse. She recommends to walk or ride the horse past it until the horse relaxes, no matter how long it takes. Shadows, going into a dark barn from the daylight, into the dark trailer, or towards the rising or setting sun are issues for the horse. They must process and overcome the fear factor. If the horse has bad memories of trailer loading, change the location of the trailer. If using a small, enclosed trailer change to a bigger stock sided one and use treat training. Reward good behavior only, not the bad. Rewarding bad behavior with treats just reinforces that behavior. Give treats as a reward when the horse does something good.
Ms. Grandin explains that horses have these emotions: fear, rage, panic (separation anxiety), seeking (exploring, curiosity), lust (breeding), caring and play. The first day in a new place or changing stall location is often stressful and takes a day for the horse to settle in. A horse with fear or uncertainty produces less manure. The commercially available compression body wrap Haematex back on track or the Telling to Touch figure 8 wrap does decrease anxiety in the horse. Ms. Grandin invented the “hug” box that squeezes the animal which reduces anxiety.
Ms. Grandin has, because of her autism, transformed the livestock handling industry and contributed to the awareness and acceptance of autism. Her life story is adapted in the movie “Temple Grandin”. We highly recommend watching it.
CASTRATION SIGNS: January 17-22, Weather permitting.
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